Lay There And Take It
1517 Words
CHAPTER THREE...
My lungs stopped working. I turned to look at Daniels face and it was reddened, humiliation twisting his mouth. “Watch yourself, Mr Cole. This is still my wife we’re talking about.”
Cole leaned back in his chair and the entire air shifted.
“Are you telling me what to do now, Daniel?” he asked quietly.
The room felt smaller, and even the walls felt like they were coming closer to me...
Every body at the table went still.
My husband forced another laugh. “You’re reading too much into things. My wife is…emotional.”
Cole looked at me again, his expression was softer this time.
“Is that true?” he asked.
My throat tightened painfully. “I—I…”
Daniel’s nails dug into my thigh under the table and when I looked up at Cole I just knew his sharp eyes had seen that too.
His jaw flexed and something in his eyes changed from pure curiosity to fury.
Knowing who he truly was, and what kind of job he truly did, fury from him meant someone was going to loose their head, and I did not know how I felt if that person was going to be my husband.
At the end of the night, as people started leaving, Daniel gripped my arm and began dragging me toward the elevator.
“Let’s go,” he hissed.
I stumbled on my feet as he pulled me behind him as he stormed ahead, then a hand closed gently but firmly around my wrist.
I stopped breathing as I turned as saw Cole.
He stood behind me, his touch feather‑light yet impossible to pull away from. His voice was low enough to vibrate against my spine.
“If you ever need anything…”
He paused, his thumb tracing once over the faint bruise on my wrist.
“…anything at all… come to me.”
My husband stiffened. “She won’t.”
Cole stepped closer, his lips near my ear, while he locked gazes with Daniel. his gaze locked on my husband.
“We’ll see.”
He released me and walked away like he hadn’t just shattered the entire axis of my life.
My husband yanked me forward, hissing threats under his breath the whole way to the car, but my mind was somewhere else entirely.
I was still back in that room. Still feeling the echo of Cole’s touch.
Still hearing his voice as he said…
“Anything at all.”
Good God!! What have I gotten myself into!!!!
I knew the moment we got into the car that I would pay for tonight.
My husband’s silence was worse than yelling. Worse than insults.
His silence meant he was collecting every moment he felt embarrassed… and saving it for me. I remained silent in the car as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. The air inside the car felt too small, too thin, like it didn’t want to be here either.
Finally, he spoke.
“What the f**k was that?”
I swallowed. “I didn’t—”
“Don’t lie to me.”
His voice dropped lower than usual. He became quiet and kept trembling with that sick kind of rage that didn’t explode — it slithered. The kind that made my skin crawl.
“You sat there,” he hissed, “acting like some victim. Acting like I hurt you.”
My chest tightened. “I didn’t say anything… I didn’t say a single word all through—”
“You didn’t have to.” He slammed his palm into the steering wheel, making me jump. “You think people don’t notice when you flinch? When you look down like some abused puppy?”
My throat burned. “I—I wasn’t trying to embarrass you.”
“Bullshit.”
He turned the car off in the driveway but didn’t open the door or move to leave the cart.
He just stared at me like I was a f*****g puzzle he wanted to smash into pieces.
“You knew Cole was watching you, and you proceeded to act like a weak b***h that could not even f*****g breathe, you f*****g butch!” he said finally.
My stomach dropped.
“Do I hurt you, huh? Do I hit you except you deserve it? You always deserve it… and now you’re throwing a pity party In front of a f*****g criminal mafia lord? He was looking at you the whole damn night.”
I forced a small shake of my head. “He wasn’t. He was just—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me,” he snapped. “Do you think I didn’t notice? Do you think I’m stupid? You’re trying to get e killed, huh?”
He leaned in closer, his breath hot and sour against my cheek.
“You are my wife. Mine. You don’t talk to men like him. You don’t look at men like him.”
“I didn’t,” I whispered.
“Good,” he said sharply. “Because men like Cole… they destroy things. And if he thinks he can put his hands on you again, he’ll learn who you belong to. You wouldn’t even last a day in his f****d up world anyway, you weak b***h!! You belong to me… maybe you need a damn reminder”
A chill ran through me that had nothing to do with fear of Cole or his world, but everything to do with fear of what my husband would do next.
He grabbed my wrist suddenly, squeezing hard enough to crush my weak bones, while I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the impact of his punches.
“You won’t do that again,” he whispered. “Do you understand me?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes.”
Only then did he release me…Only then did he get out of the car…Only then did I let myself breathe again.
The house was quiet when we stepped inside — the kind of quiet that made every sound echo. I went straight to the bathroom to take off my makeup before he decided he didn’t like how I looked doing that too.
But as I wiped my face clean and stared at my reflection, a strange sensation twisted in my chest. Cole’s voice wouldn’t leave my mind.
“If you ever need anything… anything at all… come to me.”
No one had ever spoken to me like that. It was almost like he as angry on my behalf, like he could see me, and decided to direct a little care and softness my way.
But was not a fool…attention from a man like that was dangerous. It was like a match stick dropped in a room full of gasoline, and honestly, I had too much going on in my life with one scary man than to have another one hot on damn damn heels.
And yet…
I wanted to hear him say it again. I wanted to see that care and pure undivided attention directed toward me one more time.
I touched the faint bruise on my wrist… the one he had seen, the one my husband had ignored, the one Cole had looked at like it offended him personally.
I should’ve been terrified that he noticed. I should have been scared of what it meant. Instead, all I felt was warmth and…
A soft click from my bedroom door pulled me out of my thoughts with a snap.
I stiffened immediately.
“Are you done?” Daniel asked from the doorway, his voice low.
“Yes.”
He stepped inside my room, looked around and then his eyes landed on me…. It did not give me the same reaction as when Cole looked at me at the party.
“Come to bed.” He said, then turned and walked out of my bedroom.
There was no warmth in the invitation, not even a little room for refusal.
Just obligation, but I followed him into the hallway and into his bedroom. Because f**k it, as much as I hated this nightly sessions with him, I was too afraid to say no.
But as I laid there underneath him, staring at the dark ceiling, while he moved and gritted on top of me, I realized something.
For the first time in months…years even…the thought of staying terrified me more than the thought of leaving.
And the thought of Cole Ryder…his eyes, his voice, his warning and his offer to me burned brighter than the fear I felt even in that moment.
Could I do it? Could I take that step? What if Cole only spoke to me just to spite my husband? What if he really did not give a s**t about me or my bruises?
What if he just wanted to stir up trouble in my already crazy life and then stroll back into his like nothing really happened? With those thoughts roaming in my head, I laid on that bed and took whatever my husband was willing to give me.
- Writer
